Scratching the Surface
by badwolf21
Summary: There's only so much running the Doctor can do before it all catches up with him.


**A/N: I really need to learn to write something a bit more cheerful but in the meantime, there's this. To those reading Crossed Paths, don't worry, I haven't given up on it but this came in my head and well, refused to leave. **

Travelling with the Doctor involved risks, and an uncertain amount of danger. He avoided it as much as possible but it was like a gravitational pull, eventually he would be drawn towards trouble but the universe would be safe for another day.

His companions knew the risk the moment they stepped aboard his ship, crossing that line that would change their lives forever. Their outlook on the world blemished or expanded by the sights and wonders he showed them.

Not only did the danger keep his hearts racing, his mind working, it kept him his toes, waiting for the next trip. Rose thrived on it like him. It's one of the reasons they are a perfect fit.

However no matter how good and cautious a Time Lord can be, eventually the danger would catch up, eventually the running shoes wouldn't keep up with the pace and they would be caught.

In their recent travels, the Doctor exposed Rose to more danger than ever before and as consequence, she lost her face. He restored what was lost, but the anger in that moment when he saw her, the pain he felt; it reminded him that Rose was mortal. Vulnerable.

He would always protect her, even though she insisted she wasn't a child. It was Rose, how could he not? If it meant regenerating again, he would do it in a heartbeat. But only for her.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow." the Doctor muttered, fiddling with his shirt.

Searing ripples of pain travelled along his shoulder, down his arm, to the ends of his fingers. He gritted his teeth together, trying to ignore the pain as best he could. The Doctor couldn't remember the last time he was hurt like this, how his body ached with every movement. Hopefully something that wouldn't be repeated for a while.

"Hey, Doctor, are - what the?"

He spun around to see Rose in the doorway, her mouth hanging open in astonishment. Her trembling hand, outstretched, pointing at the blood soaked, pin striped jacket on the table. "Yo… You said…."

"What are you doing in here?" he asked, turning his back away from her so she couldn't see the true extent of the damage. _She was supposed to be asleep, _he thought.

"Couldn't drift off and you weren't in the console room, so I…" Her heart froze as her eyes darted to back to the jacket, she could see the discarded tie underneath.

"Is that from earlier?" Rose mumbled, her gaze returning to him.

He nodded sheepishly. "I didn't want to worry you."

"So, it's okay that you look after me when I'm hurt, but it can't be the other way round?" Rose asked, trudging towards him.

The Doctor sighed, but didn't answer her.

"You waited for me to go to bed before looking after yourself, putting yourself in more pain because you thought you were what, protecting me?" Rose asked, frustrated.

"Yeah, that was the plan." he admitted.

Rather than being infuriated at his stupid decision to keep his this a secret, Rose was thankful that the Doctor had bragged about his superior Time Lord biology many times, telling her that he heals quicker than humans, which meant that he would back to his normal self sooner than later.

Taking a deep breath, Rose stepped in front of him. "Do you need any help?"

The Doctor had managed to undo some of the buttons on his shirt, but the pain in his shoulder was agonising, making it hard to do the rest. Nevertheless he was determined to finish what he started until Rose batted away his hand, taking on the task.

"I can do that." the Doctor argued.

"You can't do this by yourself." she countered.

Carefully, she pulled off his shirt, revealing three big gashes covering most of his right shoulder and the top of his back. Blood dribbled down the open wounds, staining his skin. Rose gaped at the injury. _How could he not tell me? He always does things like this, leaving me in the dark. _

"That bad?" he asked.

Rose nodded. "You already knew that."

She studied the wounds; they were deep lacerations that needed stitches. "Doctor, you need to go to a hospital."

"Why?"

"This is a serious injury. It could get infected." Rose reasoned.

"Nah, it will be fine. I can fix it myself."

"How?" inquired Rose, arching an eyebrow at him. "There is no way you could reach that."

"I'll manage." he said, casually waving his arm, aggravating the injury further. "Ow." he hissed.

The Doctor turned to her, feeling her burning glare overcome him, so he admitted defeat. "Fine, fine. Can you do it?"

Rose scoffed. "In case you haven't noticed I'm not a doctor, or a nurse for that matter."

The Doctor supressed a grin. _Now there's an idea, Rose in a nurse's uniform. _But such thoughts were dismissed, when he saw the concern in his companion's eyes. "I could talk you through it?" he suggested.

Knowing that the Oncoming Storm was more stubborn that her own mother (which was saying something), Rose gave in and helped him sit down on the examination table.

"You need to do a medical scan, press that button on the screen." The Doctor said.

Rose followed his instructions; the screen loaded showing an image of the wounds. Next to it a set of strange symbols listed after the images, which Rose assumed was for the Doctor's eyes only.

"Right, in twenty minutes, it will tell us all we need to know, if there are any alien bacteria and so forth. But first we need to clean it up first." he told her.

Rose nodded, stepping back, able to examine her first patient. She was the one to change him at Christmas but she didn't pay any attention, still confused by his regeneration, she believed that it wasn't the same man.

Now she was having a hard time not looking at him. _Blimey, seven hundred years of running and that's what you get. _She swallowed hard, for a skinny guy the Doctor wasn't just skin and bones. Her eyes' wandered to his lean, toned stomach, and then the little bit of hair leading down his waistline.

As the Doctor glanced upwards, Rose nearly jumped from her spot and quickly dashed over to the sink to fill a bowl with water. She grabbed a clean piece of cloth, trying not to focus the array of ideas running through her brain. _Concentrate, Rose. It's just the Doctor. He's a friend. A lovely half-naked friend. Stop it. _

"You okay, Rose?" the Doctor asked, not looking behind him.

"Yep. Fine"she answered, trying to keep her voice calm and pure.

She brought the bowl next to him and squeezed out the water from the cloth. The Doctor watched her movements, memorised, by how a human could care about him so much. He knew he didn't deserve her friendship, but that didn't mean he would give it up either.

"You should know better than to get into a fight, you know." Rose murmured, standing behind him.

"It wasn't a fight," he responded, "A minor altercation that had nothing to do with me. Okay, maybe a tiny bit – oh."

His voice suddenly went high-pitched as he felt the soft cloth touch his skin, the cold water making him shiver.

"Too cold?" she asked.

"No," the Doctor replied, giving her a weak smile. "Just caught me off guard, that's all."

Using a circular motion, Rose continued to wash the wounds, cleaning away the dried blood. Lost in the sensation, the Doctor fought hard to not moan at the contact. _Oh_, how he could get lost in this girl. His shoulder stung but with Rose there, it became more of a dull ache, but this didn't just apply to the scratches.

The Doctor rolled his neck, trying to ignore the thumping of his hearts against his chest. Rose glanced down, watching the Doctor's muscles flex under the cloth. Her eyes widen, glad that he couldn't see her reaction. She soaked the cloth back in the water, refusing to see the red contaminate with the clear water.

"Does it sting?"

"Yeah, a bit. That's what happens when you get attacked by a Prince's guard dogs." the Doctor told her.

"Yeah, but what caused it?" Rose queried, ringing out the cloth.

A few hours before, they had arrived at a royal feast and by using the psychic paper, the Doctor and Rose gained access inside. The Doctor rolled his eyes, remembering how the Prince was sauntering through the halls of his castle, watching the young girls socialise with each other.

The Prince was allowed to "dance" with whomever he chose, even if they were married or with someone. Not that the Doctor was with Rose, but he was still in the room.

So, naturally when the Prince's lustful eyes fell on the Doctor's companion, a sudden bout of jealously overthrew him, making him take matters into his own hands. He kindly and possibly aggressively asked or perhaps demanded that Prince keep his grubby little hands to himself or be thrown into a supernova.

In retrospect, it might have not been the best way to approach the subject but it was Rose. Thankfully, she didn't see the vicious attack, or the large, two-headed dogs lunge at him.

The Doctor was able to cover up the wound with his long brown coat but he felt the blood dripping down his back, making him weak at the knees. Taking Rose's hand, he led her away from the feast and back to the TARDIS.

She went to bed straightaway, and he staggered to the medical bay, finding out what damaged was caused by him being a secretive knight in bloody armour.

"Doctor, what caused it?" Rose repeated.

"Dunno. One of those things I guess." he replied.

Shaking her head, Rose focused on the sick Time Lord in front of her. She rubbed the cloth over the wound, applying gentle pressure. Her fingertips brushed against his skin causing him to shudder.

Unaware of his reaction to her touch, Rose watched a couple of droplets escape from the cloth, run down his spine until they met the waistline of his trousers. Clenching her jaw, Rose ignored the thoughts swirling in her head. This was her friend, a wounded friend, who she should be looking after, not imagining what he looks like with the rest of his clothes missing.

They remained silent until Rose realised that he had dried blood under his arm and on his side.

"Tell me if this hurts." she told him.

She gently lifted his arm, but it still made the Doctor wince in pain and grab her hand.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry." Rose whispered. With one hand she cleaned away the blood as quick as she could while her other hand gently caressed his reassuringly, their fingers interlinked.

"Do you need any pain killers, or something?" she asked, putting the cloth back in the bowl. It occurred to her in all the time she had known the Doctor, she had never seen him hurt, well never this bad. And she hated it.

"No."

"Don't be the hero." Rose said, sternly.

"Always am." the Doctor grinned at her.

She smiled back. "Fine. What do I do next?"

The Doctor turned and pointed with his good arm to a small, metal cabinet on the opposite side of the room. "In the bottom draw there should be everything you need."

Rose walked over the cabinet and found medical supplies. But she didn't find a suture kit, but instead a tube of clear liquid. The Doctor saw her quizzical look as she examined the item in her hands.

"That's it, bring it over." he said.

"But you need stitches." Rose muttered.

"It's much better, plus I'm not sure how good your sewing skills are." he joked. "Don't want to be left with a nasty scar."

Rose strolled towards him. "Fair enough."

"Take off the top, and squeeze it over the cuts, don't get any on your hands, understand?"

"Doctor?" Her voice was shaking.

"Rose, it's okay. Believe it or not I'm know what I'm doing." he stated, looking her in the eye.

"Then why did this happen in the first place?" she asked, knowing she had him beaten.

"Ah," the Doctor muttered. He bit his lip, and then gave her his famous melt-your-heart smile. "Trust me?"

"Always." Rose whispered.

The Doctor leaned over slightly, so Rose had clear view of where she was putting the liquid, but when she squeezed it out it was more like a gel. A thick, see through gel that plopped onto his back. It took almost the three-quarters of the tube before the injuries were covered, then the Doctor sat up straight again.

"What is this stuff?" she asked, standing in front of him.

"From the 31st century," the Doctor explained. "Creates a barrier and prevents infections. There's antibiotics in the gel which helps speed up the healing process."

Rose let out a long shaky breath, feeling relieved until her eyes fixated how the Doctor's hand were clamped to the edge of the examination table. His knuckles were white, his face contorted in pain.

"Doctor?!" Rose said, anxious.

She stared at his back as the gel she had just applied began to change. The alien mixture hardened, altering its colour until Rose could no longer see the red flesh underneath but a white barrier instead.

"What was that?" Rose stammered.

The Doctor relaxed, leaned his head back feeling the pain subside. "Don't worry, that's meant to happen, the gel shield will shed when a few layers of skin grow back. Just feeling that gel move, it's an ice-cold shock through your veins… not nice at all… I mean…" his voice faded as he saw the tears well in Rose's eyes.

"Rose?" he said, not realising how much he had alarmed her. "Rose, it's okay."

"Don't do that again." she said, her voice quiet.

"Well, no one likes getting hurt." the Doctor muttered.

"I mean it," Rose said, facing him. "Don't do that again. That was… scary and don't." Tears fell from her eyes and the Doctor's hearts broke.

"No, Rose, I…" He pulled in for a hug, and she returned it gladly. Clinging tight, Rose wrapped her arms around his waist.

He gently stroked her hair, his new protection allowing him to move his arm more freely without the agony stopping him, not that would stop him trying to comfort her.

The Doctor pulled back, looking into her beautiful, brown eyes. "Rose, I'm okay. Really, I'm fine."

She nodded, her hands still resting on his waist. He could feel the warmth of her skin on his and he bit back a groan. _Not the time, Doctor. _

Rose leant her forehead against his, oblivious to herself tracing circles on his lower back with her fingernails. "Should be used to the health hazards by now." she sobbed.

Closing the gap between them, the Doctor pulled Rose closer so her legs were between his. She titled her head, and stared into his eyes, feeling his reassurance. Hesitantly, he cupped her cheek, wiping away the tears, smiling at her.

"There a risk in everything we do." he whispered.

"Uh – huh." she breathed.

The Doctor pushed a couple of stray hairs behind her ear. Rose raised her hand, stroking along the Doctor's jaw, feeling the rough stubble under her fingertips.

"Rose," he said, his voice lower than he expected.

"Doctor?"

He swallowed hard. "I… erm… I…"

Struggling to find the words to describe the stirring tension between them, Rose leant in, her lips ghosting over his.

_SCAN COMPLETE. SCAN COMPLETE. _

The screen next to them lit up, loading the analysis of the Doctor's injuries. Breaking the moment, his eyes glanced to the screen and then back to Rose.

Realising how close their current position was, they abruptly pulled apart, her hands slipping through his. He instantly missed the contact, her kind warmth.

The Doctor cleared his throat, "Right you should -"

Rose took a deep breath. "You need to rest-"

"Yes." he said.

"Maybe catch up on some sleep." she mumbled, avoiding his gaze. She turned around, trudging to the door.

"Yes, of course." He stood up, watching her leave, but couldn't quite let her go just yet. "Rose?" he said, but it sounded more like a plea.

"Yeah?"

"I..." the Doctor started, "Thanks for… your help." he said, loosely crossing his arms.

She gave him a weak smile. "Don't mention it." _Anything for you, _she thought. 

Rose left the room, leaving the Doctor alone with his thoughts. He grabbed the ruined jacket and shirt, examining how blood he lost. Dropping the clothing back onto the table, he ran his hands through his hair, feeling as if he needed to catch his breath. The truth being attacked by ferocious, blood thirsty guard dogs was not half as scary as telling Rose how much he loved her.

There is only so much a running a Time Lord can do, before that pull, that urge comes back, drawing him to the one thing that keeps his hearts racing. There was some resistance, scared feelings of the future, but they always found their way back each other. It was a gravitational pull between the Doctor and Rose, the only real question was: How long before they both give in?


End file.
